Inside Alive’s new print look

I feel like I’m driving a new car. All the things I loved about my old car are right here at my fingertips, but this new one looks better and handles better. It has that new-Alive smell, too.

To beat this poor metaphor into the ground: Thanks for coming along for a ride in our new design.

We started thinking about giving Alive a facelift almost a year ago. And after a lot more thinking, we got to actually doing the work in April. Our friends on the digital side made a terrific new website. Have you visited yet? Talk about a new car. We love it for its good looks and ease of use.

We listened to readers who told us they sometimes feel lost in the print edition of Alive. We’ve tried to make getting to the good stuff easier with better navigational tools (think red) and by shuffling the order of sections. We even made a couple of new sections, called People and Screen.

Most importantly, though, we wanted this redesign to work for those of you who want information on the go. The new ColumbusAlive.com is responsive — it reads easily on desktop computers, tablets and smart phones. We’re publishing a lot of stories online first, so you have plenty of time to clear your schedule for events that grab your attention.

We’d love to hear what you think about the design and the website. Call or drop me an email anytime.

Cheers!

Kristen

Some of our favorite things about Alive’s new print look:

New sections

The People section leads off with Alive’s weekly Q&A. We moved the party pictures there, too. And we created a page called Reply All that collects your feedback from Twitter, Facebook and ColumbusAlive.com.

Movie and TV coverage got its own section called Screen. We’re especially fond of the Now Playing page, which includes one-time or limited-time screenings around Columbus.

Easier to navigate

Just follow Alive’s signature red and it’ll take you somewhere interesting. On the Contents page, red points you to events in various neighborhoods. On the side of each page, red tells you where you are in Alive. It can get really busy in here!

Digital first

Check in with ColumbusAlive.com for fresh event previews every day, so you can plan your weekend (and weeknights) on your time. Scroll down the front page for The Latest, where Alive staffers frequently update arts and culture news from Columbus and beyond. Be the first to know what’s new by following us on Twitter, @ColumbusAlive,and by liking us on Facebook. We like you, too.